The Other Kagome
by FaustoCosgrove
Summary: The Story of Inuyasha is re-written, with the main heroine's personality changed.
1. Prolouge

The Other Kagome

~Pre-Prologue~

Lol. Well, looking back at what I wrote, the prologue's more of an "I hate Kagome" rant than anything. Whatever.

Little note: full quotes are for spoken words: "Like this" said the illustrious author. Half quotes are for direct thoughts, like when the character has a definite answer and choses not to speak it but thoughts without quotes are for a wandering mind, i.e. 'That cloud looks like an ice-cream cone' thought Kagome vs. Kagome was thinking about clouds and what their shapes reminded her of: ice-cream cones, beach balls, and fluffy kittens.

Another note: Golly, I haven't read a fanfiction seriously since high school. Where do I get off writing one? Tee Hee.

~Prologue~

Kagome's always bugged me. Especially her relationship with Inuyasha, which I think began out of convenience and the author's will rather than an example of human emotion or good chemistry. Just because they're forced to parade around together and have a few mildly scandalous snuggly scenes, he's Mr. Right? I don't think so.

Even more annoying about Kagome is her personality in light of Kikyou. It's like all the parts of Kikyou I didn't like got passed onto Kagome. The explanation given for why Kagome misses so much school, plus bad grades, is laughable. Later in the series, Kagome gets all this praise for being so "pure", and that's why she's the perfect person to purify the Jewel. Ha. I shall interpret that part of the story as a joke. 15 years old is when the lot of us turn into raging, angry, hormonal monsters. I was like that, you probably were/are/will be too, as was Kagome. Which does speak more to a good characterization than anything, but not when you've taken on the responsibility to save the world.

Here, I explore what the world of Inuyasha would have looked like with a heroine that is, I feel, a little more suited for the part.

Super short chapters ensue, I've done my best to keep the original plot as far as I can, before I jump off the deep end (because mauling a meta-series into a short story is fun!). I'll apologize for my own brand of humor, as sparse as it is.

It might help to re-read the first 2-3 chapters of Inuyasha again. And I will keep as many of the original characters whose presence is possible, and will keep them with Kagome so long as it is practical, but with more concern if it is plausible. At some point, I think I'll write a eulogy for all the original characters I liked who we don't get to meet. There will be no OCs (unless we're talking to a random person who does not develop the plot).


	2. Chapter 1

~1~

"Sota, you're not supposed to play in the well house."

"But Onee-chan, Buyo ran inside."

"Well, then, you better hurry and get him out, before he gets gobbled up by evil spirits!"

Sota suddenly had a look on his face, lost somewhere between fear and "what utter nonsense".

"Okay, okay, I'll go with you." his sister conceded.

Fifteen years old should have been too old for it to have been Kagome's first time in the shrine without adult supervision, but following her grandfather around like a duckling, devouring every story about demons, spirits, exorcism, and magic left Kagome less inclined to go into the well. If she did so, she might discover that it was all folly, a fear which kept her all the more engrossed in the strange tales.

Kagome planned on descending into the shrine, retrieving the cat in a swift and tidy manner, and giving her brother a lecture about how evil spirits can attack you, even if you've done nothing wrong to them, but... well, we wouldn't have a story if that was the end of it.

Poor girl, her plan was going so well, too. She did indeed descend into the shrine and find the cat. As she turned and began walking up the stairs she said to her brother:

"Sota, we must be careful about evil spirits. This shrine is locked because if you enter they may attack you, without cause or warning." And Mistress Centipede did just that.


	3. Chapter 2

~2~

Bad. This was bad. Scratch that. This was Super omega bad. In fact, no word or combination of words may be adequate to describe just how bad this was.

"I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore." Kagome said to herself in broken English, as she looked up so see the sky. The well it's self was ridden with vines, and the sky above her was a blinding blue where not obstructed by tree tops. The only sign that she had been actually dragged into the bottom of the shrine's old well was an abandoned arm of the demon which brought her there. How exactly she had gotten the demon to let go of her, and what that weird flash of light was, was still unknown.

"Sota?!" Kagome cried out, fearing her brother had been dragged along too, but disappointed in the silence that followed. "I'm all alone, and in the spirit world I guess?" Kagome asked herself aloud, a thought that was strengthened when she clambered out of the well and beheld the great beauty of the forest which greeted her.

In a sudden reversion to 6 years old, Kagome began exploring her immediate surroundings, turning over rocks and such, anything just to make sure she was really in another world. Her fun and games came to an end when she spied a familiar sight not too far into the distance.

Kagome approached the God tree wearily.

"Okay, possibilities which can exist. Number one: I've hit my head, and the normal world has been vegetated over through my blurred vision. Number two: I'm in a coma, and this is a remnant of reality in my memory. Number three: I'm actually in the spirit world, and someone/thing is messing with me by showing a familiar sight to make me go coo-coo-banana-brains."

Then, she saw the tree.

"Oh, gods, a corpse?" Kagome asked to no one. The boy was pinned to the God tree with an arrow, but that was nothing compared to the overgrowth that had sprung up around his body. 'Maybe plants have suddenly learned how to grow super fast, or something. Or maybe dead spirits don't rot?' Kagome thought to herself, unable to preserve her usual oblivious nature to illogical truths.

"Are you alright?" She asked rather loudly, and received silence in response as she had secretly hoped for. She tentatively climbed up the oversized plant vines, closer to the presumed corpse. 'Is this pervert wearing a cat-eared headband?' She asked herself in mild disgust. Kagome was flashing back to mindless pop-stars and their absurd followers. A light tug let her know that, no, it was not a headband.


	4. Chapter 3

~3~

"Who goes there?" a voice asked before Kagome was penned in by arrows.

"Eeeek! Don't shoot!" Kagome said back, long after the final arrow had zoomed past her head.

"Don't you know these lands are forbidden?" asked a back-lit voice.

"No." Kagome replied immediately and rather unceremoniously.

"Then you're a foreigner. Hurry and get out of there!" Said another back-lit voice.

And she did.

On the way to the village Kagome ponders her situation in silence 'Yes, because following their directions without question warrants tying me up. Actually, I should have run. No, because they would have just shot me. And as if running would do me any good. I don't even know where I am!'

At the village, Kagome found herself sitting in the middle of town, with a suspicious crowd gathering around her. "Well, since you all seemed surprised at my arrival, I guess I can't ask how I got here..." Kagome absentmindedly said to the crowd, who dutifully ignored her. Kagome couldn't ignore that the whole town looked like a historical reenactment. 'Well, being magically transported to the distant past would explain the vegetation and clothing, but that doesn't shed a shard of light on how I got here, or why that boy had cat-ears...' Kagome lost herself in thought.

Soon, an old woman cut through the crowd and demanded of her the answer which Kagome had just asked the crowd. Instead of responding in any meaningful way, the only thought which crossed Kagome's mind was...

'That will be me in fifty years, won't it?' The old woman was a miko, and had more wrinkles on her face than a pug dog. She was hunched over and used a bow as more of a walking stick than a weapon.

Snapped back to reality by the old woman squeezing her face, Kagome learned that she bore a striking resemblance to her dead sister, Kikyou. Back at the old woman's hut, Kagome listened to her stories of the miko's, Kaede's, elder sister. Kagome wondered how the old woman could remember the face of someone who had been dead for fifty years, and more so if she understood how unreliable human memory is, but since this was what had granted her freedom, she questioned it not. Kagome explained that she was a miko in training, but before she could relate the story of the demon which had brought her here, Mistress Centipede made her second debut.


	5. Chapter 4

"Hand it over! The Jewel of Four souls!" The demon cried at her.

"You have the Jewel?"

"No, but so long as she think I do, I can lead her away from the village at least." Kagome said before flagging down the demon's attention and dashing toward to forest.

"Head to the well!" The old woman cried. "It's in the forest, that wa-"

"Where the trees are shiny? I'm on it!" Kagome interrupted. And with that she was gone.

Kagome ran as fast as she could, vaguely remembering the path that she had been forced to take away from the God tree. 'Turn right at the tree, and I'm home free. At least, I think so? Well, not really. This thing is going to kill me anyway, so I guess at least it won't eat any more villagers?' It knocked her off her feet just as Kagome had reached the tree. That should teach Kagome to not let her mind wander during a battle...

"What are you doing playing around, Kikyou?" asked an unknown and haughty voice. Kagome looked up.

'The corpse talked?' She asked herself.

"Kill it with a single arrow, like you did to me." The corpse continued on.

"That would indeed be the proper course of action, assuming I had a bow with me. And assuming I was this Kik-"

"Look there." This time, Kagome was the one interrupted. The demon swooped down at her again.

"Eeek!"

Luck was on Kagome's side, as the villagers drug the beast away from her with spears and ropes.

"Tut, tut, what a pathetic performance, Kikyou."

"Forgive me for not being Kikyou, then."

"Don't be stupid, only Kikyou reeks like tha-..." the boy stopped talking and began sniffing her.

'Ah. so he is a pervert.' Kagome thought to herself as she mentally took a step back.

"Wait, you're not her?"

"A bit behind the times, aren't you? My name is Kagome."

"Bah, of course you're not her. Unlike yours, Kikyou's face was intelligent... and beautiful."

"And yet you did, indeed, have the two of us confused." Kagome said, with a twinge of anger. "The difference can't be so great. I suppose I shall thank you for your indirect compliment." He glared at her, angrily. Kagome's mind had completely wandered from the ensuing battle, until the demon seized her.

"Eeeek!" Kagome seized the nearest thing to keep her on the ground, er, well, on the tree? The poor boy. She'd managed to get her fist full of his hair.

"OW! Let me go!"

"After she lets me go! Get away!"

"I'll eat you whole, girl, Jewel and all!"

"NO!" And with the same burst of light which had freed her from the creature's grasp in the well, Kagome flopped to the forest floor with severed arms. Rather than run away, Mistress Centipede sunk her fangs into Kagome's side.

This time, Kagome met the forest floor accompanied by a shiny, pink jewel instead of more of the creature's arms. The villagers shouted something, but Kagome heard nothing due to the pain in her side. The tree-corpse shouted something, too. Kagome reached for the jewel, but the demon was faster. Kagome was now wrapped up along side the corpse by the demon's body.

Mistress Centipede addressed the corpse-boy.

"Hmm... you are Inuyasha, no? I had heard of a half dog demon in these parts, who also hunted for the Jewel of four souls."

"Stuff it, Hag. I can blow you apart without blinking."

"Did anyone ever tell you that actions speak louder than words?" Kagome asked, with a bit more sarcasm than she had intended. The pain in her side had more than assured her that this non-sensical world was nothing to joke about and that her ensuing death was very real as well.

"Shut up!"

"True, though. Just watch as victory, possession of this gem, becomes mine, little half-demon."

Pinned to the tree along side the boy, Kagome watched as the jewel which the demon had cut out of her body disappeared down it's throat.


	6. Chapter 5

The beast's arms leapt back to her body and she shed her skin, revealing a less human and much scarier appearance. Mistress Centipede giggled in ecstasy of finally acquiring the Jewel. Kagome was frightened. As if she wasn't deadly enough before. With or without the Jewel probably wouldn't have changed Kagome's and the corpse-boy's, er, Inuyasha' fate of being crushed to death.

Then, Inuyasha entertained Kagome the notion of freeing him, so he could kill the beast. The old woman protested, but a freed Inuyasha and a dead Centipede seemed like better odds for survival. Kagome reached for the arrow, and seeing the vines wrapped around him, wondered briefly how long he had been stuck here. With a tiny pang in her heart, Kagome tugged at the arrow, and it disappeared.

The results were beyond what she could have dreamed. No sooner had the arrow disappeared, than Mistress Centipede was dead. Inuyasha was as arrogant after his victory as before. The demon's dismembered flesh still wiggled, as Kagome did as the old miko instructed and pulled the Jewel from it's flesh.

"What I don't understand about what just happened could fill a book..." Kagome commented.

"Then hand the Jewel over to someone who does understand how things stand. Unless you want to die." Inuyasha said.

"Don't hand it over to him, girl." the miko instructed. Kagome agreed silently.

Despite Inuyasha's threat to have no mercy on her, Kagome had survived three attacks more than Mistress Centipede had. With the sealing beads around his neck, and Inuyasha's face flat on the ground at the word "sit", it seemed their adventures were over for the day. Well, one could hope...


	7. Chapter 6

Back at the village, the villagers were cleaning up and repairing their homes. Kagome was a bit disturbed at how unaffected they all were at having been attacked by a giant centipede. Kaede had relayed that her sister had died, how Kagome's resemblance to her sister implied re-incarnation, and decided that Kagome should be the next care taker of the Jewel. Kagome told her companions how, then, she would proceed in protecting the Jewel.

"WHAT?" Inuyasha cried out.

"Are you out of your mind, girl?" the elder miko asked.

"It seems perfectly logical to me." Kagome said, unaffected by her companions protests.

"NO NO NO NO!"

"Osuwari." Inuyasha's face met the floor boards, and then the ground beneath the house.

"Don't do that inside."

"Sorry."

A short silence followed.

"If you're... after the Jewel's powers too..."

"No. It's just... The Jewel was in my side for a reason. I feel it should be put back."

"... demons will be targeting you for the rest of your life..."

"Wouldn't they anyway? At least this makes me less inclined to drop it or have it stolen."

"Girl, you're crazy! You're stupid! You're so stupid, I can't believe I thought you were Kikyou!" Inuyasha rejoined the conversation after pulling himself out of the floor.

"I can't believe you keep mentioning your error, if the difference between us is indeed so great."

"Shut up!"

"This Jewel..." Kagome turned her statement toward Kaede "Is something that has been with me since before I was born. I clearly don't have a spotless record for protecting it, even if that only stain is today, but that is something I've been doing all these years, if I was aware of it or not. If the next thief has to cut it out of my side again, so be it. It's better than letting the thing roll about on the ground, as when I was scrambling to keep it from Inuyasha-san."

"Er..." the miko was a bit taken aback. Inuyasha was silent and scowling.

"Since you've your heart set on my protecting the Jewel anyway, I shall do so as I see fit. Besides, the previous miko didn't have such luck by merely carrying it about, and I'd rather not see history repeated. I'm sure both of you wouldn't like to see that, either." Kagome said.

Her companions were silent. Perhaps Kagome had said too much? If the old woman was too attached to her sister and her ways after fifty years of death to try to avoid the mistakes of the past, Kagome worried for her sanity. Well, maybe the death of a sibling never really heals, Kagome wouldn't know. More worrisome, however, was Inuyasha's silence. Kagome had expected him to say how he wished she would die, so he could steal the Jewel. Why hadn't he?

"Well, since we are in agreement..." Kagome said, before re-opening her wound, and shoving the gem into her side. Inuyasha, for some unknown reason, cried out in pain more audibly than she did.

"Ho, is Inuyasha being exorcized?" asked a passing villager through the window.

"I wish." replied Kaede.


	8. Chapter 7

Author's note: trololololol! fun with plot holes! And because avoiding "misunderstandings" that are crucial to the plot is silly.

~back to the story~

It was supper time, and Inuyasha was scowling at the two mikos from across the room. Kagome had just informed Kaede of all what had happened that day, as seen through her eyes.

"Kaede-sensei, I've been meaning to ask you..."

"What is it?"

"Since Inuyasha's freedom was regarded as such a grave decision, why have you allowed him into your home?"

"He's no trouble, as all you must say is sit and he will be subdued by the rosary."

"I see." A short pause. "And speaking of that holy rosary, if Inuyasha's freedom was such a grave concern, why did you not use said rosary on Mistress Centipede before I released the boy?"

Kaede blinked. 'Perhaps she, too, had no idea?' The thought flashed across Kagome's mind.

"And why was Inuyasha sealed to the tree? If he is a simple Jewel thief, why was he not killed, as the Centipede beast was?"

"My sister... lacked the strength."

"Feh. I'm just soooo powerful, she couldn't kill me!"

"Do you need to be reminded that she kept you out of commission for fifty years?" Kagome said without filtering her thoughts.

"Shut up!"

"You can leave out the door, or else I'll force you down through the floor."

"Please don't, unless you plan on fixing my poor floor. There's enough damage already."

The three glared at each other.

"Well, Inuyasha-san?"

"Well, what?"

"Do I get to hear the rest of the story in peace or are you condemning me to learn carpentry?"

"Feh."

"He'll be quiet." the old woman said confidently. Or maybe with a forced confidence? "It is a simple story, girl. Inuyasha attacked my sister, stole the Jewel, and tried to run away. Kikyou-nee-sama stopped him. That's all there is to it."

"I attacked her? Is that what she told you? After ambushing me?" Inuyasha yelled.

"The plot sickens." Kagome thought aloud again.

"What was that?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Never mind."

"And what did YOU say, you cheeky brat?" Kaede had dropped a pot on Inuyasha's head.

"OW!"

"Ambushing you? My sister? Don't make me laugh."

"It's the truth!"

"Perhaps I can believe both of you," Kagome piped up. "If Kikyou laid a trap, and Inuyasha attacked her after it failed, neither story is a lie."

"My sister would never do such a thing."

"I didn't attack her!"

"Fantastic progress we're making."

"Shut up!" And Inuyasha left the room and disappeared into the night.

"...You might be more trouble than Inuyasha..."

"Perhaps."

The old woman glared at her. Kagome decided she had tried her luck long enough, and decided to do something to avoid being thrown out of the old woman's house. "Though back to the matter at hand, I must say your story bears more weight. It is unlike a miko to lay a trap of any kind."

"Indeed."

"Still, Inuyasha's behavior is troublesome."

"He's always been troublesome like that."

"... I see."

And the two exchanged no more words the rest of the night.

'Always, was it?' Kagome pondered as she tried to fall asleep. 'So he isn't just a simple Jewel thief.'


	9. Chapter 8

The next day, Kagome had recovered a bit of her strength, and decided to leave her sick bed and explore the village. The village people bowed to her, and Kagome wondered vaguely if praying to someone who also prayed did any good.

Laden with food offerings from the villagers, Kagome at first thought she might seek out the store house and put it all back, but by the time she got to the edge of town, her arms were so full she was surprised she could move. Kagome approached a tree with a familiar half demon sitting in it.

'So, he hadn't left town after all.' Kagome thought with mild amusement. "Lunch time." She was ignored, so she threw a turnip at him. Still no response. "I wonder if I'd break the tree's branch if I forced you down..."

Inuyasha whipped his head around glared at her before descending peacefully.

"What evil plan are you hatching now?"

"To fill your stomach?"

"Hm..." Inuyasha glared suspiciously at her.

"Well, I haven't seen you eat yet. Aren't you hungry?"

Inuyasha snagged a carrot and munched away in silence. Kagome did, too, for a while.

"Well, there was something else..."

Inuyasha stopped mid chew. He would have begun to glare at her if her wasn't already.

"Re-incarnation or not, I am not Kikyou."

"Feh. You think I care about that? All I care about is the Jewel! You better watch yourself, girl! I'll snatch it out of your side and kill you."

"That simply isn't true."

"Is that a challenge?" Inuyasha shouted as he stood up and threw the daikon on the ground.

"The binding rosary, may I remind you. Not that it is terribly important. You did fail to kill me before it was around your neck. Why was that?"

"I.. er... I was just playing with you!"

"...I see." Kagome said skeptically. 'If obtaining the Jewel is such an important objective for you, you wouldn't have had time to play around.' Kagome continued to eat in silence while Inuyasha just stood there.

"Inuyasha-san?" Kagome asked tentatively as she looked up at him. He twitched. "Were you really trying to kill me yesterday? Or were you just trying to scare me, so I'd give you the Jewel?"

"...shut up!"

"So, it's the latter."

"Shut up!" He turned to leave.

"Inuyasha-san."

"What is it this time?"

"Would you please tell me your story?"

"Huh?" he stared back at her.

"Your story. Of what happened that day. Unless you'd rather not talk about it yet."

Inuyasha continued staring, so Kagome lengthened her explanation, albeit a bit flustered.

"I've heard Kaede's story, but I'm not sure how well a fifty year old memory can be trusted. I'd like to hear how you remember that day." Well, that wasn't a total lie. Though Kagome did trust the old woman more than Inuyasha.

Still no response.

"...if my face still bothers you, I can look the other way while you speak or wear a mask." she offered.

Inuyasha snorted and walked away.


	10. Chapter 9

A few "minor" demons had made unmemorable appearances that afternoon, attempting to steal the Jewel and having quick deaths at Inuyasha's claws, which vexed Kagome to no end. Still, he hadn't left, which Kagome was quite happy about. However, the appearance of the minor demons troubled Kagome more than Inuyasha intrigued her, so she went to speak with Kaede. As per usual, Inuyasha was lurking nearby, and jumped into the conversation.

"Fine, girl, go home! Just let me cut you open again, and..."

"Osuwari"

"I'm so glad you've begun doing that outside..."

"You're very welcome."

"Don't go on talking as if I'm not here!"

"I've questioned your judgement before, girl, so forgive me if I do it again..."

"From your perspective, I see why this seems unwise, but I assure you I've had seven fold more trouble in this place than back home."

"Fine! Leave! See what I care!" Inuyasha said as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Inuyasha-san."

He twitched.

"I regret I did not hear your tale before I left."

He glared the other direction.

"And I'm sorry for bothering both of you all for so long." She said to Kaede. She turned to the boy who stared away from her. "Especially you, Inuyasha-san." She watched him twitch an ear at that. "You've been kept needlessly busy with those pesky minor demons."

"Feh. This world or any other, I'll get that Jewel from you, girl. Just wait and see!"

"Oh? Does that mean you're coming with me?" Kagome asked, her typical bemusement had a flick of excitement. She could work on him at her leisure.

"Feh! Don't be stupid!"

A woman from the village flagged down he elder miko. "Kaede-sama, could I have some of your time? My daughter is sick."

"Yes, yes." she answered the woman. "Girl, I wish you luck." she called back at Kagome.

A short silence followed. Then, Inuyasha gave a curt snort. "Well, with that hag out of the way, I can all the more easily-"

"Ho? Was the old woman really such an obstacle for you?"

More glaring.

"Inuyasha-san?"

"What?"

"Would you walk with me?"


	11. Chapter 10

"No!" Inuyasha barked back immediately.

"And why not?" Kagome asked with a huff of indignation.

"Why would I?! You and your face!"

Kagome suspected the second sentence was, like she had produced the other day, an unfiltered brain dropping.

"I told you I'd wear a mask if it'd make you feel better."

"Shut up!"

"Suit yourself. Though it's a fine opportunity to kill me and steal the Jewel, whilst I'm all alone, wandering about woods, for you or any other demon whom is moseying about these parts..."

"Fine, I'll go with you!"

Pleased, Kagome mused to herself at just how easy it was to manipulate him, and suddenly she felt very guilty about doing so to a child. Well, admittedly he was much older than she was, but he certainly didn't act it! And-

"Oi."

Kagome gave her companion no response. She was still contemplating her little manipulative scheme.

"Oi! Woman!" This time, Kagome heard him and glanced back at her companion in mild confusion.

"Is this... some kind of joke?"

Kagome stopped walking.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"You're not taking me with you into the woods for... some other reason... are you?"

"No, whatever are you referring to?" asked Kagome in complete innocence.

"Er, nothing." Inuyasha's eyes flickered around, looking at everything except her.

Then, Kagome's overactive teenaged brain turned back on, and reminded her that she just asked a man to be alone with her. At night. In the woods. Where no one else was around. Brilliant.

Kagome blushed at her own stupidity. "I have no impure intentions, if that's what you're-"

"Shut up! I thought you were you plotting to seal me up again! You pervert! Who'd want to do something with a woman so ugly?!" Inuyasha blurted out.

'So that's what it was?' Kagome thought to herself.

"Inuyasha-san... I haven't got a bow and arrow with me. And even if I did, I have no idea how to do up such a seal."

"Oh."

They were silent again.

"Then why are we going to the tree?" Inuyasha asked. For once, Kagome though he was asking a perfectly logical question.

"I'm not sure how to get to the well, except from there."

"...and we're going to the well because...?"

"That's how I get home. I think."

"...you think?"

"Well, that's how I got here."

"Huh."

They walked in silence the rest of the way.


	12. Chapter 11

Upon arriving at the well, Inuyasha, predictably, tried to attack Kagome, though she was able to keep him pinned to the ground with "sit" long enough to jump inside. She was not followed, and Kagome was slightly disappointed. Perhaps he couldn't come here? Perhaps he didn't want to? The second question made Kagome more disappointed than the first.

Back in her house, Kagome recounted her story to her family, who seemed to take the news rather well. Her grandfather coated the well in charms, whilst her mother expressed mild skepticism. Sota, as any child could be expected to, asked for her to tell him everything, which she did, only to eventually have his attention stollen by the television. See, that was the problem with kids these days. Too much television and not enough...

Kagome had taken a bath, and washed several days of sweat and dirt off herself. She happily helped her mother prepare dinner. Tonight, they were having oden! Kagome could hardly contain her excitement.

"Oden, oden, fa-la-la-la! It's oden! It's oden! Pom-pom-pom, happy day, everything's going my way, pom-pom. It's oden ~~"

"Well, lookit you, not a care in the world. No wonder you wanted to come back." stated a familiar voice.

Kagome looked up.

"Inuyasha-san?"

"No, I'm your darling 'oden', who do I look like?!"

Kagome refrained from making a joke about him merely resembling someone else, who she found much more attractive and intelligent. More so because she was in too much of a shock of seeing him here in this time, rather than her filtering the cruel joke from her speech.

As one would expect, Inuyasha was a spectacle in the Higurashi household. Inuyasha promptly berated her grandfather's seals, and her mother soon after verified if those ears were real or not.

Kagome absentmindedly picked a stray hair off of Inuyasha's sleeve. She flashed back to just last week at school, when Yuka had given her beef for always tucking everyone's shirt tags back in without asking. Not that Yuka could give any explanation for why anyone would ever ask to let the tag hand out all day, but... Kagome was nearly lost in thought when she realized she was unable to get this hair off of her hands and into the garbage can.

"Inuyasha-san, this is some tenacious hair you shed." Kagome said. "Ow!" A strand had managed to give her a paper cut. What in the...

"You can see it?"

"Well, sure, there's got to be a million of 'em growing out of your head." Kagome replied, a bit confused.

"Not this hair, you ninny!" Inuyasha yelled while pointing at his head. "The demon hair that's been trying to kill me any everyone in the village since you left!"

"...the demon hair that's been trying to kill..." Kagome stopped her thought short and gripped her temples with her hand free of murderous demon hair. "...and you came here to tell me and bring a sample because..."

"That old woman said you should be able to see it, too. Seems like she was right. Let's go!"

A horrendous thought struck Kagome.

"Inuyasha-san, if you were able to come here, what's stoping the hair?"

"I dunno. Probably nothing."

"Idiot!" Kagome rushed out of the house and into the well's shrine.


End file.
